déontologie

Déontologie was coined by Jeremy Bentham around 1826, from Greek deon (that which is binding, duty) and logos (study). Bentham, a utilitarian, used the word neutrally to mean the science of duty or obligation. The word was then applied to the moral tradition Bentham opposed — the tradition that judges actions by their inherent rightness rather than their consequences. Immanuel Kant is the central figure, though he died twenty-two years before the word was coined.

Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785) argued that morality is based on the categorical imperative: act only according to a rule you could will to be universal law. Lying is wrong because you cannot universalize a rule permitting lies — if everyone lied, the institution of truth-telling would collapse, making lies themselves impossible. The wrongness of lying does not depend on what happens. It depends on the logical structure of the act.

Deontology and utilitarianism became the two dominant frameworks in modern ethics, and the tension between them generates most of moral philosophy's interesting puzzles. Should you kill one person to save five? The utilitarian says yes — maximize well-being. The deontologist says no — you must not use a person as a mere means. Philippa Foot's trolley problem (1967) and its variations became the standard tool for probing this tension.

Professional ethics — medical, legal, journalistic — is mostly deontological. Doctors follow rules (do no harm, informed consent) regardless of whether breaking them might produce better outcomes in a specific case. Codes of ethics list duties and prohibitions. The word that Bentham coined to describe what he disagreed with became the framework for professional conduct worldwide.